Many imaging devices, such as printers, photocopiers, and multi-function imaging devices, store a supply of media sheets, such as paper sheets, in one or more internal trays. The sheets are vertically stacked within the trays by a user or service technician. Media trays are sized and configured to hold hundreds or thousands of sheets. A media feeding system is used to extract the top sheet from the stack of print media in the tray and deliver the top sheet into a media transport system of the printer.
Media feeding systems often utilize rollers or similar structures to frictionally engage the print media and move the print media in a desired direction. Over time, paper dust, debris, and contaminants can build up on the rollers of the feed system. This dust buildup can degrade the frictional properties of rollers of the media feed system and, as a result, negatively impact performance. As a result, the media feeding systems of imaging devices require periodic cleaning to remove the dust and contamination from the rollers in order to maintain consistent and reliable feed performance.
Some previously known imaging devices require that the media feed system be cleaned manually by an operator of the device. Typically, this manual cleaning requires that the operator be able to identify the need to clean the rollers and have the knowledge to access the feed rollers for cleaning. Other previously known imaging devices have been configured to utilize a cleaning sheet that is fed through the system to clean the rollers. Using a cleaning sheet requires dedicated times when the printing operations are stopped so the cleaning sheet can be fed through the system and can generate faults, which have to be cleared before resuming operations. Some imaging devices have been equipped with dedicated roll cleaners that are added to the feed system. The roll cleaners are continuously in use and can add cost and complexity to the media feed system.
Cleaning rollers in a media feeder of an imaging device without requiring operator intervention or device downtime would be beneficial.